NEWS
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
Doris Dwyer as Margaret Breen
Frank Mullen as King Henry VIII
Duffy Hudson as Albert Einstein
Museum speakers lined up for 2014 Mark your calendars to meet Twain, Ford and Einstein BY DOLORES FOX CIARDELLI
The 2014 Ed Kinney Speaker Series begins Jan. 14 with that quintessentially American humorist, Mark Twain. The event is dubbed “An Evening with Mark Twain: A Musical Journey Out West,� and has Pat Kaunert playing Twain accompanied by musician Dave Rainwater. “Attendance has grown significantly for the ‘An Evening with’ programs,� said Jennifer Amiel, Director of Education and series coordinator for Museum on Main. “People have discovered the series and especially enjoy the programs where actors portray historical characters.� In the speaker series, audiences come face to face with actors who look and sound as if they have stepped out from the pages of history books as well as speakers who are experts in their fields. “There’s something very special about getting up close with characters from the past,� Amiel said. “This year, audiences will hear from Mark Twain, King Henry VIII, Henry Ford and even a Donner Party survivor, Margaret Breen.� All of the events begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Firehouse Arts Center, 4444
Railroad Ave. The 2014 schedule after January is as follows: UĂŠ iL°Ê {\ĂŠ Âş Â˜ĂŠ Ă›i˜ˆ˜}ĂŠ ĂœÂˆĂŒÂ…ĂŠ Ă•}Â…ĂŠ ˆ>˜}\ĂŠ Eyewitness to the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake & Fire.â€? The earthquake and subsequent fire destroyed nearly all of Chinatown. Unknown numbers of the 14,000 Chinatown residents were killed in the fire and the rest were displaced from their …œ“iĂƒÂ°ĂŠ …ˆ˜>ĂŒÂœĂœÂ˜ĂŠ Ă€iĂƒÂˆ`iÂ˜ĂŒĂŠ Ă•}Â…ĂŠ ˆ>˜}ĂŠ ÂˆĂƒĂŠ portrayed by Charlie Chin. UĂŠ >Ă€VÂ…ĂŠÂŁÂŁ\ĂŠÂş Â˜ĂŠ Ă›i˜ˆ˜}ĂŠĂœÂˆĂŒÂ…ĂŠ Ă•ĂŒÂ…ÂœĂ€ĂŠ-ĂŒiĂ›iĂŠ Minnear: Dublin & The Tri-Valley, The WWII Years.â€? Minnear wrote the new Arcadia Publishing book on the military base and hospital activities in Camp Parks and Camp Shoemaker of Dublin during WWII. UĂŠ ÂŤĂ€ÂˆÂ?ĂŠ n\ĂŠ Âş Â˜ĂŠ Ă›i˜ˆ˜}ĂŠ ĂœÂˆĂŒÂ…ĂŠ -i>LÂˆĂƒVĂ•ÂˆĂŒĂŠ Historian Jani Buron.â€? Buron, the author of “The Spirit of Seabiscuit,â€? is a former Pleasanton resident. She recollects her life on Ridgewood Ranch in the 1940s along with the top money-winning champion of his time, Seabiscuit, who trained for a short time in Pleasanton. UĂŠ >ÞÊ£Î\ĂŠÂş Â˜ĂŠ Ă›i˜ˆ˜}ĂŠĂœÂˆĂŒÂ…ĂŠ ÂˆĂ›ÂˆÂ?ĂŠ7>ÀÊ,isearcher Ernie Manzo: Bay Area Civil War
Batteries & Forts.â€? Civil War researcher Ernie Manzo discusses the Civil War Era batteries and forts that surrounded the San Francisco Bay Area. Most notable was the Presidio, the nerve center of a coastal defense system that included Fort Point, Alcatraz and Angel Island. UĂŠ Ă•Â˜iĂŠ £ä\ĂŠ Âş Â˜ĂŠ Ă›i˜ˆ˜}ĂŠ ĂœÂˆĂŒÂ…ĂŠ ˆ˜}ĂŠ iÂ˜Ă€ĂžĂŠ VIII.â€? Once described as one of the most charismatic rulers to sit on the English throne, King Henry VIII is known in modern times for his six marriages and his role in the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. Frank Mullen, journalism teacher at the University of Nevada, portrays King Henry VIII. UĂŠ Ă•Â?ÞÊ n\ĂŠ Âş Â˜ĂŠ Ă›i˜ˆ˜}ĂŠ ĂœÂˆĂŒÂ…ĂŠ œ˜˜iÀÊ *>Ă€ĂŒĂžĂŠ Survivor Margaret Breen.â€? Dr. Doris Dwyer takes the stage as Margaret Breen, a member of the ill-fated Donner Party. Breen joined ĂŒÂ…iĂŠ >Â?ˆvÂœĂ€Â˜Âˆ>ĂŠ Ăœ>}ÂœÂ˜ĂŠ ĂŒĂ€>ÂˆÂ˜ĂŠ ÂœvĂŠ nÂŁĂŠ ÂŤÂˆÂœÂ˜iiĂ€ĂƒĂŠ ĂœÂ…ÂœĂŠ ÂˆÂ˜ĂŠ ÂŁn{ĂˆĂŠ vÂœĂ•Â˜`ĂŠ ĂŒÂ…iÂ“ĂƒiÂ?Ă›iĂƒĂŠ ĂŒĂ€>ÂŤÂŤi`ĂŠ ÂˆÂ˜ĂŠ the snow in the Sierra Nevada. Dwyer is a professor of history and humanities at Western Nevada College. UĂŠ Ă•}°Ê£Ó\ĂŠÂş Â˜ĂŠ Ă›i˜ˆ˜}ĂŠĂœÂˆĂŒÂ…ĂŠ iÂ˜Ă€ĂžĂŠ ÂœĂ€`°Ê American cultural history professor Dr. Doug Mishler takes the stage as the Ameri-
Christmas tree collection schedule Scouts, Pleasanton Garbage to pick up trees BY JEB BING
Christmas trees will be picked up by Pleasanton Boy Scout Troop 941 tomorrow for a small donation or by Pleasanton Garbage Com-
pany free of charge next Saturday, Jan. 11. The public can register for the Scout pickup service at http://treepickup.troop941.org/
CLOCK REPAIR
Timely Service
Free Estimates Free Pick-up & Delivery in Tri-Valley
Byfield’s Clock Shop Call (925) 736-9165 Page 8ÊUÊJanuary 3, 2014ÊUÊPleasanton Weekly
For the Pleasanton Garbage Service, tree must be placed curbside by Friday night, Jan. 10 and cut in four-foot sections. Stands, tinsel, ornaments and lights must be removed before the trees are loaded into trucks. Trees also can be cut in two-foot sections and placed in residents’ greenwaste container for pickup on regular garbage collection days. Pleasanton residents also can take their trees to the garbage company’s Ă€iVĂžVÂ?ˆ˜}ĂŠViÂ˜ĂŒiÀÊ>ĂŒĂŠĂŽÂŁÂŁĂ¤ĂŠ Ă•ĂƒVÂ…ĂŠ,`°Ê free of charge until Feb. 1. N
can industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Co. Mishler will explore Ford’s many sides including his support of welfare capitalism and his political positions during WWI and WWII. UĂŠ-iÂŤĂŒÂ°ĂŠÂ™\ĂŠÂş Â˜ĂŠ Ă›i˜ˆ˜}ĂŠĂœÂˆĂŒÂ…ĂŠ Ă€VÂ…ÂˆĂŒiVĂŒĂŠ Â…>Ă€Â?iĂƒĂŠ Huff, AIA: Architecture in Downtown Pleasanton.â€? Join Huff in a presentation on the architecture, renovation and restoration projects of key downtown Pleasanton structures over the years. He will particularly address the LĂ•ÂˆÂ?`ˆ˜}ĂŠ >ĂŒĂŠ ĂˆĂ¤ĂŽĂŠ >ÂˆÂ˜ĂŠ -ĂŒÂ°]ĂŠ ÂœĂ€Âˆ}ˆ˜>Â?Â?ÞÊ LĂ•ÂˆÂ?ĂŒĂŠ ÂˆÂ˜ĂŠ 1914 as Pleasanton’s Town Hall, now home to Museum on Main. UĂŠ "VĂŒÂ°ĂŠ Ă“ÂŁ\ĂŠ Âş Â˜ĂŠ Ă›i˜ˆ˜}ĂŠ ĂœÂˆĂŒÂ…ĂŠ Â?LiĂ€ĂŒĂŠ ˆ˜stein.â€? The season closes with Broadway and film actor Duffy Hudson in a highly anticipated return performance to Pleasanton as Albert Einstein, the great scientific thinker who revolutionized physics. Tickets are $10 general admission; $7 ĂƒiÂ˜ÂˆÂœĂ€ĂƒĂ†ĂŠ fxĂŠ Â“Ă•ĂƒiՓÊ “i“LiĂ€ĂƒĂ†ĂŠ >˜`ĂŠ fĂŽĂŠ students/teachers. They may be purchased >ĂŒĂŠ Ă•ĂƒiՓÊ ÂœÂ˜ĂŠ >ˆ˜]ĂŠ ĂˆĂ¤ĂŽĂŠ >ÂˆÂ˜ĂŠ -ĂŒÂ°]ĂŠ `Ă•Ă€ing regular operating hours or by phoning the museum at 462-2766. For more information, visit www.museumonmain.org or phone 462-2766. N
Library offering free classes in Microsoft Excel 7 First class starts Jan. 8 for beginners BY JEB BING
With Microsoft Excel now one of the hottest skills needed for job advancement, the PleasanĂŒÂœÂ˜ĂŠ ˆLĂ€>ÀÞÊ ÂˆĂƒĂŠ ÂœvviĂ€ÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠ Ă?ViÂ?ĂŠ classes in beginners and intermediate levels free of charge. Classes will be taught by a finance professional with more than 10 years of experience, Ăƒ>ˆ`ĂŠĂŒÂ…iĂŠÂ?ˆLĂ€>Ă€ĂžÂ˝ĂƒĂŠ iÀÀÞÊ Ă•ĂƒÂŽÂˆÂ˜Â° The new class series is sched-
uled from 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, >Â˜Â°ĂŠn]ĂŠvÂœĂ€ĂŠ i}ˆ˜˜iĂ€Ăƒ]ĂŠ>˜`ĂŠ>ĂŒĂŠĂŒÂ…iĂŠ same time on Wednesday, Jan. 29 for Intermediate/Advanced. Registration is required, as space is limited. Register in the library at the Reference Desk or V>Â?Â?ʙΣ‡Î{ää]ĂŠiĂ?ĂŒiÂ˜ĂƒÂˆÂœÂ˜ĂŠ{° The library is at 400 Old Bernal Ave. N